Gas measurement systems are used for measuring the concentration of gas and/or vaporous components of a gas mixture by means of a color change of at least one reaction substance. On a reaction support unit with a chip or a plate, transparent glass tubes are arranged on the chip. The same or a different reaction substance is arranged within the glass tube. A remaining gas measurement system comprises a suction pump for conveying the gas mixture through the glass tube and thus to the reaction substance as well as a mechanical bearing in the form of friction bearing for the reaction support unit. Here, the reaction support unit is introduced first as an exchangeable unit into the remaining gas measurement system, and then the reaction support unit is moved by a servomotor into a predetermined position. Through a gas connector, the gas mixture is conveyed through the gas tube by the suction pump, and in the case of the presence of gaseous and/or vaporous components on which the reaction substance produces a color change, a color change of the reaction substance occurs. This color change is detected by an optoelectronic detection device, namely a number, for example, 6 Si diodes. As a result, the color change of the reaction substance on the glass tube can be detected, disadvantageously, at only six positions of the reaction substance. Here, an evaluating unit can evaluate the data of only six separate color change positions of the reaction substance. The accuracy and the reliability of the gaseous and/or vaporous components detected by the gas measurement system are consequently low. Such gas measurement systems are used, for example, at work sites, in special waste dumps, or in the case of accidents involving chemicals, in order to be able to rapidly detect outflowing noxious substances of unknown type and concentration on site.
DE 39 02 402 C1 shows a device for measuring the concentration of gaseous and/or vaporous components of a gas mixture using optically detectable reaction zones of gas test tubes containing a substance that reacts with the a component to be detected, wherein the change of the reaction zone can be determined by direct observation and/or by an optoelectronic scanning device. Here, several channels are arranged on a support in chip form that is exchangeable and insertable in an optoelectronic scanning device. The scanning device is designed here as an LED array.
DE 43 03 858 C2 shows a device for the colorimetric detection of gaseous and/or vaporous components of a gas mixture on the basis of a discoloration of a reaction zone arranged in a channel, one or more of which are applied on a transparent support in disk form which can be moved into an evaluation position which is detected by a signal transmission unit in a signal receiving unit. A barcode as data field is also arranged on the support. The signal receiving units here are designed as CCD sensors. For example, they can be silicon photodiodes or silicon transistors.
The problem of the present invention therefore consists in providing a gas measurement system and a method for operating a respiration and anesthesia apparatus, in which the color change on the reaction substance can be detected at a large number of separate positions at low technical expense.